Old news. We've known all along that Musk wanted to get to Mars. And philanthropist? really? He's hoping to charge $500,000 per seat.

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Actually you're right, I should have said techno-philanthropist/techno-entrepreneur..the new breed we are seeing who are bypassing the old ways of getting things done, that are accelerating our ideas of what is possible. I would never have suggested that these people didn't want to make any money at all!

80,000 people is about how many people on Earth have a net worth of $30 million or more.

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The number of millionaires worldwide is increasing rapidly.

The 80,000 number is the amount they plan on sending per year according to Musk.

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It's not "per year" though, that's his upper limit for the colony itself. With anything resembling realistic technology, it would take upwards of ten years to transport that number of people to Mars, even before accounting for returns and deaths.

It's not old news when its a co-gov't venture.

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I think you mean to say it WON'T be old news when it's a co-government venture. It isn't yet, and won't be for a long time.

It's not "per year" though, that's his upper limit for the colony itself. With anything resembling realistic technology, it would take upwards of ten years to transport that number of people to Mars, even before accounting for returns and deaths.

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Millions of people needed for Mars colony, so 80k+ would just be the number moving to Mars per year

It's not "per year" though, that's his upper limit for the colony itself. With anything resembling realistic technology, it would take upwards of ten years to transport that number of people to Mars, even before accounting for returns and deaths.

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Millions of people needed for Mars colony, so 80k+ would just be the number moving to Mars per year

It's not "per year" though, that's his upper limit for the colony itself. With anything resembling realistic technology, it would take upwards of ten years to transport that number of people to Mars, even before accounting for returns and deaths.

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Millions of people needed for Mars colony, so 80k+ would just be the number moving to Mars per year

Which links to this article which interviews the ACTUAL Elon Musk. It's not the first time he's quoted his "80,000 people" figure, it's just the most recent.

Don't get excited, Rama.

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Im well aware of the capacity of current rockets, well aware of the idea that spacex would basically be passenger "bus" rockets to Mars and that they wouldn't be running the colony itself, and most of all aware of the potential timeline, I predicted at 50% chance of a Mars landing by 2035..personally I wish I felt they were higher. What's new is that this isn't some back page idea and artist's rendering, it has a motivated person with money behind it, and if this particular motivated person doesn't do it, others will...eventually. The technology will be there.

As for the quote, he follows up on his quote on twitter and I have seen it repeated on other media pages on my phone, so I'm sticking with it till he says otherwise.

I'd be nervous about putting more than a thousand people on Mars, since the more people there are the better chance their inevitable rebellion has of succeeding, and Mars colonies always rebel - always.

I'd be nervous about putting more than a thousand people on Mars, since the more people there are the better chance their inevitable rebellion has of succeeding, and Mars colonies always rebel - always.

What's new is that this isn't some back page idea and artist's rendering, it has a motivated person with money behind it, and if this particular motivated person doesn't do it, others will...eventually. The technology will be there.

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"Someone will do it eventually" isn't news either. Musk has been making public statements about his Mars idea for several years now and it has made headlines every single time.

As for the quote, he follows up on his quote on twitter and I have seen it repeated on other media pages on my phone

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So a twitter comment gets reposted by other twitter users and that makes it news?